Who's to blame for hammer-throw death?

Ethan Roser, center with his brother, Nathan, far left, sister, Elisha, brother Johnathan and parents Pat and Mark Roser. Ethan, a Mason graduate and freshman at Wheaton College, died April 22 after being accidentally struck by a tethered metal ball during a hammer throw competition near Chicago. Ethan, a soccer player and theology major at Wheaton, was volunteering as a spotter for the track and field event.(Photo: Roser family photo)

A minute later, there was so much blood gushing out of his mouth no one could perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Roser and three of his soccer teammates stood huddled in a circle April 22, volunteering at a college track meet near Chicago.

This was the hammer throw event. Their job was to mark the throws and collect the 16-pound metal balls.

But these were warmups. They didn't need to measure the throws.

So they messed around with the measuring stick, according to the police report, poking it into the ground near one another's feet. They were standing outside the field of play.

"Just being kids," one student later explained to police.

Then, an errant throw.

"Look out," someone yelled.

"Heads up," a parent screamed.

This is one of several witness statements collected by police after Ethan Roser was struck and killed during a hammer throw event at a college track meet near Chicago.(Photo: Provided/Wheaton Police)

Thud. Crunch.

Those were the words witnesses used to describe the sound that reverberated around Lawson Field at Wheaton College.

The hammer hit Roser just as he looked up. The 19-year-old fell to the ground and didn't move.

Ethan Roser, 19, a Mason High graduate, and freshman at Wheaton College,died April 22 after being accidentally struck by a tethered metal ball during a hammer throw competition near Chicago. Ethan, a soccer player and theology major at Wheaton, was volunteering as a spotter for the track and field event.(Photo: Roser family photo)

"I think I just hit someone," the thrower from Aurora University said, before walking off the field to hug his brother.

Police said he was visibly upset when interviewed, telling them it was an accident.

Roser was bleeding out his mouth and nose. A parent of another athlete rushed over and saw part of his skull. He tried to move Roser, but blood pooled into his left ear.

Roser's chest moved up and down, but with every breath, more blood streamed out his mouth. While one person pumped his chest, another swept the blood out of his mouth.

His faint pulse soon couldn't be found. He was turning blue.

The blame game

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Ethan Roser, 19, a Mason High graduate, and freshman at Wheaton College,
died April 22, after being accidentally struck by a tethered metal ball during a hammer throw competition near Chicago.
The Enquirer/Cara Owsley

"They're making the victim the responsible party," Roser said, discussing his son and the other volunteers near him. "They thought they were in a safe space, beyond the reach of one of the hammers."

Roser graduated from Mason High School and was studying to be a pastor at the Christian college near Chicago.

Ethan Roser, right, a Mason High graduate, and freshman at Wheaton College, died April 22 after being accidentally struck by a tethered metal ball during a hammer throw competition near Chicago. Ethan, a soccer player and theology major at Wheaton, was volunteering as a spotter for the track and field event.(Photo: Roser family photo)

Numerous witnesses told police Roser and his friends weren't paying attention or had their backs turned, according to an Enquirer analysis of police records.

"Ethan was not looking and did not notice the hammer was flying directly at him," police Detective Andrew Uhlir wrote in his report. "Many observers yelled 'heads up' loudly. Ethan did not react in time."

Wheaton police closed their investigation on May 11, after the county's coroner ruled Roser's death accidental.

But here are some other details to keep in mind, according to police records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request:

One student volunteer said he was not given any formal training prior to the event.

Another student said volunteers were not given any instruction by a NCAA official.

Multiple students said no signal or indication was given that the thrower was about to throw.

Wheaton's hammer throw coach, who said he has been in the sport for many years, told police he never participated in an event where signals were used to warn a throw was imminent.

The coach said the field at Wheaton was the safest he had seen.

The coach and the official overseeing the event told police they never had any contact with the students measuring the throws.

The official said he believed the students felt safe because of where they were standing.

He could have stopped the event if he felt it was necessary.

Wheaton's soccer coach said he and another adult told the students not to turn their back on the field and stay off their phones.

The deadly throw was not the first throw during warmups.

A police detective told the Chicago Tribune the NCAA rule book doesn't provide guidance about where volunteers should stand during the event.